WednesdayReflection

  19^th July 2023

Elspeth Paisley,
of Lifeline Church suggests

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"One touch from the King changes everyday life"

John Singleton founded 'LifeLine' Church in the mid-1970s.
John's passion is to see the church demonstrate God's love in real and practical ways, believing God has called us to make a difference in all we do.

His revelation of a relationally-based church has led us to genuinely care about each other and those around us, empowered by the Holy Spirit to have an impact on our family, community and nation.

There are many emotive and divisive issues within our society.
How do we make sure we don't just add to the noise but are salt and light?
How do we make sure we aren't tossed about by the waves of opinions, fads and fears?

In a world of news saturated with strong political and often hidden agendas, how do we give space for the wisdom and love of God to direct us?
The 'Hot Topic series' seeks to empower our people by providing a calm environment where the various arguments can be explored and considered.
We look to process all issues through the ultimate truth filter of the Bible and ask ourselves 'What pleases Him?'

Like it or not we are dependent on the media to act as a go between, bringing issues to our attention. We rely on the industry to break down complicated issues so we can respond.
But the media has its own agenda and influential forces.
If we accept that we don't have a completely objective opinion, how do we weigh what they say? How do we spot the lies and the bias?

We are called to be perceptive people. God promises to give us insight.
The biggest challenge is for us not to swallow everything we hear before asking God to show us what He sees and how we please Him.


We were a bunch of leaders, praying together over the summer.
We were seeking God for ourselves, recognising that God's word to the church about a fresh touch from Him, started with us coming before Him ourselves.

I was listening to others, hearing their heart cry and admiring their vulnerability.
I was pondering what a fresh touch from the King meant for me...
I was open yet didn't feel anything specific.
'What do you want to do in me Lord?' I enquired.

A few days passed and I was quick to react to a couple of things at home.
Phil (my husband) and I went to see some friends and they asked 'what do you think God is showing you, that you could do differently?'
They faithfully pressed the question and we left talking and praying together as we walked up the road.

I knew that I was a fast processor, but that there was both a strength and a weakness in that. Able to respond quickly, change direction if necessary, but also that I could sometimes react quickly and wrongly, unintentionally hurting others along the way.

It seemed that God was gently putting His finger on this, with a lingering invitation to turn to Him and allow Him to change me.

The process hasn't been quick, and I'm still in it.
But it has been definite. I've felt a heightened sense of discomfort if I've reacted wrongly and been able to put it right.
More recently I've felt as if I've had more space to consider, along with a sense of restraint before making a response, and this has changed the way I've spoken, making it gentler.

There's also been some surprising things: feeling far less pressured when leading for example - able to relax, leave space and wait for God to do His thing, instead of feeling anxious.
Or in the workplace being able to see where others are coming from more clearly and seek God for His word to navigate through.

A fresh touch from the King can sometimes be an instant, joyous feeling.
Sometimes it looks like laughter or tears.

But this time, for me, it looks like surrendering a habitual way of reacting to situations and working through the process of change with Him.

I'm still in that process, but I can confidently say
'just one touch from the King changes everything'.

It may be interesting to watch, or just listen to Godfrey Birtill,
who wrote a brilliant song about this Listen here

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